Bulbs and Plants of the World

Well, a wonderful title to start with, don't you think? It is so diverse a subject, it would take forever to even start to describe the variety of plants it covers. In this, my first writings, I thought I would give you a glance at my background, although my Bio shows you my interests and some of the activities going on around my place.

I'm a member of the International Bulb Society and have input as part of their Bulb Robin and Image list. This is a lot of fun and very educational what with all the different topics being discussed and the broad range of people and countries involved. My first love is the Ixia which is a member of the South African family of Iridaceae and I aim to feature many of the species I have grown (plus the ones I haven't) and discuss growing techniques as I progress.

Why do I love the Ixia so much? Well, I just fell in love with the species when I purchased a hybrid bulb long ago. When it flowered, its shape and color and the way it opened and closed depending on the weather each day fascinated me. I was hooked. I had never seen this species before and I needed to get more.

I found some Ixia bulbs supplied by the big bulb companies in Australia but they were only in mixed lots. Where were the species Ixia to be found? Well, they were very hard to find and when I did find a supplier from New South Wales who specialised in rare species, there were limited supplies and they were usually expensive to buy.

This grower was eventually a great help to me and supplied me with the information to provide their needs and helped me through the problems that I encountered. At first I didn't understand some of the terms like dormancy. "Dormancy period?? What's that! Oh. I see - you keep them dry in the summer? But Why??" I asked. "Well. They might rot." was the reply. I studied growing techniques and regimes, read books, spoke to gardeners and increased my knowledge.

However, in discovering the Ixia, I also discovered all the other wonderful species bulbs and there was no way back. Now, I'm a compulsive gardener and I love every minute of it.

The true species are by far the most interesting - God's little children that I love to look after. Some of the Ixia I have are I. Rouxii, I. Paniculata, I. Viridflora, I. Flexuosa, I. Monadelpha, I. Capillaris, just to name a few. There are many more and I hope to cover as many as I can on Suite 101.

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